Gait retraining for runners: in search of the ideal.

Abstract

For physical therapists, modifying technique is not a novel concept; however, our motives are typically focused on symptom and injury reduction rather than purely performance. These specific modifications are based on minimizing tissue load, while still enabling successful completion of the task. Applying this same rationale to running, an activity in which up to 80% of participants are injured annually, would seem to be a good thing. Yet the idea of using gait retraining in patients without neurological injury/pathology is rather uncommon. However, a few researchers have investigated specific walking retraining strategies to reduce knee joint loading, with the goal of applying these techniques to individuals with knee osteoarthritis. This has led some to use the same concept on runners with patellofemoral pain, with a corresponding improvement in gait and symptoms.